1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for controlling progress of a video game by displaying a player character on an image display screen of an image display apparatus, and by controlling an action of the player character displayed on the image display screen in response to operations by a player.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, various kinds of so-called role playing games (RPG; that is, a game in which a player plays a role of a character in a world of the game, and accomplishes a predetermined object while enjoying a process that the character grows through various experiences) have been provided.
In a RPG, generally, a player character acting in response to operations by the player wins a battle against an enemy character thwarting accomplishment of a predetermined object in the RPG, by which various benefits such as an experiential value are supplied to the player character.
In a video game such as a RPG, in the case where a player selects to continue playing the video game when a player character becomes a battle impossible state and the video game is then over, the video game starts from the nearest save point. For that reason, the player character does not inherit benefits such as an experiential value that the player character has acquired from the nearest save point to the time when the video game is over at the time of “continue”, and such benefits lead to disappear.
Heretofore, there is an apparatus that receives a continue operation to continue playing a video game at a different stage whenever any stage in the video game is terminated, and that calculates a total score after termination of the video game to display it (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-243138). However, in the invention described in this patent document, a video game does not restart from the nearest save point at the time of “continue” after the video game is over, but the total score is merely displayed when the video game is completed (terminated).
In the case where benefits such as an experiential value that the player character has acquired from the nearest save point to the time when the video game is over are not reflected at the time of “continue”, the video game restarts under the same conditions. Thus, it is difficult for, in particular, an inexperienced player (that is, a player who does not have much experience) to make the video game proceed smoothly, and therefore, there was a fear that this causes such a player to lose interest in the video game.
In order to solve this problem, it has been proposed that an experiential value, which the player character has acquired until the time when the video game is over, is caused to be reflected at the time of “continue” (for example, see “SNK PLAYMORE GAME OFFICIAL SITE Samurai's Soul -Shimensoka (Embattled)-”, URL: http://www.snkplaymore.jp/game/keitai/i-mode/shimensoka/index.php).
However, in the case where an experiential value that the player character has acquired until the time when the video game is over is caused to be reflected at the time of “continue”, it is impossible for a player to restart the video game at the same conditions. This takes a chance from, for example, an experienced player who wants to try the video game again by changing strategy under the same conditions. Therefore, there was a fear that this causes such a player to deteriorate motivation to continue playing the video game.
Namely, in the case where clear of the stage is to be facilitated after restart of the video game by means of simple increase of offensive power due to level up of the player character, there was a fear that the player, who wants to try various kinds of strategy to clear the current stage while keeping the current level of the player character when the video game is over, loses his motivation and desire to continue playing the video game.